Heaven Scent

by Sasha Wagstaff

  She headed outside to get some air. Starting, she realised someone was inside Xavier’s lab. Catching her breath, Delphine realised it was Xavier. A slow smile spread across her face. So her plan had worked; going to Grasse and immersing himself in perfume again had reignited Xavier’s love of fragrance, just as she’d hoped it would.

  Feeling uplifted, Delphine left him to it.

  Holed up in her flat near Mougins awaiting further instructions from Delphine, Angelique was being massaged by her petite Japanese masseuse, Mai Ling, whom she had finally managed to track down. Mai Ling was masseuse to the stars and she would fly anywhere in the world to pummel the stress out of the rich and famous with her magic, probing fingers – for a price. Known for her rudeness as well as her expertise, she was much sought after and fought over among celebrities. Angelique squirmed on the couch; Mai Ling’s touch was both painful and exquisite.

  ‘You so tense,’ Mai Ling tutted, kneading Angelique’s shoulders with expert hands. She moved the mane of blond hair out of the way, drizzled some more jasmine oil through her fingers and resumed her rhythmic pummelling. She spoke perfect English but she knew her clients preferred her to play dumb and act out the stereotype. And for the money she charged, Mai Ling was happy to go along with it, dressing and acting like a subservient geisha girl. Hell, for her rates, she’d put on a funny wig and dance a jig, if asked to. As it was, her dumb-dumb, I-no-speaky-English persona allowed her to be privy to all sorts of gossip and drama, something Mai Ling enjoyed immensely. She was discretion itself but she loved knowing intimate details about her famous clients.

  ‘I have a big event to attend,’ Angelique announced.

  ‘Really?’ Mai Ling sounded bored.

  Angelique’s mind flipped through her plan. As far as she could see, it was foolproof but, as always, she was on her guard. Men were tediously predictable but she had a few aces up her sleeve just in case; even the most typical of men could occasionally be resistant. And Xavier could hardly be described as a typical man. Deep in thought, Angelique rested her head on her hands. Her entrance had been planned meticulously and she wanted everything to go like clockwork. There was so much at stake, so much to play for. Angelique forced herself to relax. Why couldn’t she just trust that everything would work out the way she wanted it to? And worst case, if it didn’t, she was still holding all the cards.

  ‘What’s that?’ Mai Ling asked, pointing a child-sized finger at a red, slinky dress that was hanging over the back of the door.

  ‘A dress for a party I’ve been invited to,’ Angelique said, without lifting her head. ‘It’s Dior.’

  ‘Fancy,’ Mai Ling commented, moving her hands down Angelique’s spine slowly. Her entire back and shoulders had been taut and knotted and it had taken some serious finger work to remove the stress. Mai Ling moved the towel, exposing Angelique’s slender legs. She started massaging her smooth calves, her mind and ears alert.

  ‘This could be the start of something very important,’ Angelique mused, her mind still torn between giving in to Mai Ling’s practised strokes and mulling over her situation.

  Mai Ling said nothing, sliding her oily hands up and down Angelique’s toned thighs. Then she concentrated on Angelique’s feet, cradling them in her tiny hands before flexing them up and down and circling them in her palms.

  Angelique felt Ma Ling’s hands cupping her thighs as she lifted and stroked her skin. She spread her legs slightly, letting out a groan and relaxing into the couch. Mai Ling didn’t break a stroke, easing her hands up and down with fluid strokes, her thumbs darting in and out of Angelique’s inner thighs. Angelique sucked in her breath as Mai Ling’s hands moved higher, the edge of her fingers just touching between her legs before teasingly moving away again.

  Angelique gripped the edge of the couch. She shouldn’t . . . she really shouldn’t . . .

  ‘Miss want usual?’ Mai Ling murmured, her eyes narrowed.

  Angelique hesitated. In view of her plan, she really should try to be good. She felt Mai Ling’s tiny fingers flicking at the edge of her buttocks and gave up trying to be good. Where had that ever got her?

  ‘I think that’s exactly what I need, Mai Ling,’ she murmured, wriggling expectantly on the couch.

  Mai Ling rolled her eyes. With a body as beautiful as Angelique’s, it wasn’t exactly a hardship. Flicking the towel away, she climbed up on to the couch and parted Angelique’s legs with her knees. Using her skilful fingers for an entirely different kind of massage, Mai Ling did what she did best and proved once more why she was in constant demand all over the world.

  As Angelique squirmed and gasped, Mai Ling held her down and firmly applied her tongue. As her client came and let out a shuddering howl of release, Mai Ling smiled smugly and climbed off.

  ‘Miss better now?’ she said, placing a fresh towel over Angelique’s body.

  ‘So much better,’ Angelique responded in a husky voice, luxuriating in the afterglow of her orgasm.

  ‘Good. Mai Ling charge extra for that.’

  ‘Mai Ling can charge whatever she pleases.’ Angelique grinned, resting her head on her hands as her masseuse bustled around tidying up and packing her oils away. Finally, her head was clear. That . . . release was just what the doctor ordered.

  ‘Dad’s never going to speak to me again,’ Seraphina groaned, hugging her knees. Wearing a white sundress with her platinum-blond hair loose around her shoulders, she resembled an angel.

  Or, rather, a fallen one, Cat thought, trying to read Seraphina’s masked expression. Her eyes, with purple shadows beneath them from lack of sleep, looked bruised and her skin was sallow because she had spent the past few days shut in her bedroom. Cat still couldn’t believe Seraphina had cantered round her school front garden naked and even though she could see the funny side of it, she was more concerned about what was really going on inside Seraphina’s mind. Something had tipped her over the edge and Cat couldn’t believe it was all down to Max being expelled.

  ‘He’ll come round,’ she assured the girl. ‘Your father is just angry right now.’

  Seraphina jumped up, her mouth twisting defiantly. ‘Well, so am I! I’m angry too but no one cares about that, do they?’

  ‘Sit down,’ Cat told her calmly. ‘I mean it, Seraphina. What’s the point of us trying to talk about this if you’re just going to lose your temper every five minutes?’ She waited until Seraphina gave in and sank down on to the sun lounger again. ‘Now, talk to me. Why are you so furious with your father?’

  ‘Isn’t it obvious?’ Seraphina’s brown eyes, when she lifted them to meet Cat’s, were full of hurt. ‘He doesn’t want us here, Cat! That’s why he sent us away to that stupid college in the first place. When Mum died, he shut us out, he sent us away because he couldn’t bear to have us around.’

  ‘Is that what you really think about your father?’ she asked her gently. ‘That he sent you away because he didn’t want you here?’

  ‘Why else would he do it?’ Seraphina’s shoulders were tense and hunched as she clutched her legs. ‘Seriously, Cat, however hard you try, you won’t be able to come up with another alternative. He rejected us just when we needed him the most and that’s all there is to it. I know it, Max knows it and unless he’s an idiot, our father knows it too.’

  Cat sighed. She didn’t want to betray Guy’s confidence by telling Seraphina about him sobbing over Elizabeth’s gravestone but she felt duty-bound to at least try to defend him.

  ‘Maybe he can’t cope with his own grief,’ Cat offered, treading carefully. ‘That doesn’t mean it’s right or that I’m on his side, all right? I’m just saying it’s possible, isn’t it?’

  Because she liked Cat so much, Seraphina gave the suggestion a chance. She mulled it over, her small nose wrinkled with concentration, but finally she shook her head. ‘No, sorry. I just can’t see it. I don’t think Father is suffering at all. I think he’s just obsessed with business and he can’t find time for us in his busy schedule.’

&
nbsp; Cat gave up. Perhaps she could speak to Guy about it, but then it wasn’t exactly any of her business. She chewed her fingernails. The longer she stayed at La Fleurie, the more deeply she was being drawn into all the issues the Ducasse family were facing. In reality, they were nothing to do with her.

  ‘My passport turned up,’ Cat told Seraphina, wondering if she could voice her suspicions aloud without sounding crazy. ‘In a drawer I’d already checked more than once.’

  Seraphina missed the inference, her face falling. ‘Oh no, does that mean you’re going home?’

  With a frown, Cat explained about her old passport being cancelled. ‘So I have no choice but to wait for the new one. I still have the legal papers to sign and your grandmother has asked me to stay for the party, but either way, I’m trapped here until my new passport arrives.’

  ‘Well, I’m glad you’re here for a bit longer,’ Seraphina confided, her eyes meeting Cat’s. ‘I . . . could do with a friend right now.’ She changed the subject, hating sounding needy. ‘So how was Grasse?’

  ‘Incredible,’ Cat murmured without thinking, her mind returning to the delicious kiss.

  Seraphina raised her eyebrows. Cat was doing her best to look nonchalant and Seraphina wondered if something had happened between her and Xavier. Looking ridiculously pretty with her butterscotch-blond hair tied up in a ponytail and her aquamarine eyes all wide and innocent, Seraphina couldn’t help thinking Cat was hiding something.

  ‘Incredible. I see. In what way?’

  Fully composed now after her slip-up, Cat waved an airy hand. ‘Oh, it was just interesting, you know. All those perfume factories and the scenery was to die for.’

  Seraphina flipped over on to her front but she didn’t take her eyes off Cat. ‘And what about my brother, Xavier. Was he incredible too?’

  Cat looked away quickly. She wondered where Xavier was. She had barely seen him since they had returned from Grasse. She glanced at his lab. As she did so, she thought she saw the shadow of movement inside but she knew she must be mistaken. Xavier was more likely to be on the beach somewhere, half naked with a new girlfriend.

  Seraphina rested her head on her hands. ‘I expect you think Xavier is just like Olivier, don’t you?’ Seeing Cat’s startled expression, she nodded. ‘Thought so. And I can see why. I mean, on the surface of it, they must seem very similar. The privileged background, the good looks . . . the women.’ Seeing Cat flinch, she apologised. ‘Sorry, I know that must sting. But what I’m trying to say is that I would hate you to not trust men any more just because of Olivier.’ Seraphina sat up. ‘He was such a selfish bastard. He was spoilt and lazy and all of us thought he needed a kick up the backside. But not all men are liars and cheats, you know. Xavier isn’t and . . . and there are other men out there who aren’t like that too.’

  Cat’s lip curled. ‘What’s so different about Xavier? He might be more talented than Olivier when it comes to the perfume business but I honestly can’t see too much of a difference when it comes to shagging around. Sorry,’ she added, realising she was slating Seraphina’s beloved brother.

  Seraphina hesitated. ‘Look, there’s more to Xavier than meets the eye. He’s only with all those women because . . . there was this woman, you see, and she really hurt him . . .’

  Cat made an impatient sound. She didn’t buy it; Xavier wasn’t some tortured soul, damaged by the love of his life.

  Seraphina could tell that Cat didn’t believe her. ‘I know he looks like he doesn’t care about anything but you couldn’t be more wrong.’ She pulled a face. ‘I wish I could tell about this woman but Xavier hasn’t even told the family about it, only me and Max, and I swore I wouldn’t say anything.’

  ‘You don’t need to explain,’ Cat told her firmly. ‘His life is none of my business. He made that very clear when we were in Grasse.’

  To her surprise, Seraphina laughed. ‘Typical. He’s ridiculously private and so hot headed. Look, I can’t say too much but I will say that he hasn’t always been like this. Olivier . . . I’m afraid he was born that way but Xavier, well, something changed him, all right?’

  Cat shrugged. Seraphina seemed earnest in her attempts to get her to think differently about Xavier but she wasn’t sure if she believed her. Maybe she had Xavier all wrong, maybe she didn’t. The fact remained that he still thought badly of her for marrying Olivier. She said as much to Seraphina. ‘It’s just that he clearly thinks I’m an idiot . . . but love makes you do reckless things, doesn’t it?’ Cat paused. ‘What am I saying? You shouldn’t know about such things.’ When Seraphina was silent, Cat touched her arm. ‘You don’t, do you?’

  Seraphina went pink. ‘Not yet. But I want to.’ Her brow furrowed. ‘At least, I think I want to. I have this boyfriend, you see, and he’s much older than me.’ Realising she’d said too much, she hurriedly corrected herself. ‘Well, not much older than me, just a bit older.’

  Concerned, Cat leant forward. ‘Seraphina, don’t ever do anything you don’t want to, all right? Men say all sorts of things to make you think you should have sex and God knows what else but at your age, no one should be pressurising you.’

  ‘I’m not a child, Cat!’ Seraphina was clearly offended.

  ‘I know that. I wasn’t suggesting you were. All I was saying is that you sound unsure and if you are, you need to know something.’ Cat brushed a lock of hair out of Seraphina’s bruised-looking eyes. ‘Any man, any decent man, will wait for you.’

  ‘Will he?’ Seraphina looked sceptical.

  Cat nodded firmly. ‘Yes, he will.’ She paused. ‘Seraphina, are you all right? If you need to talk to someone, I’m here. I know I’m absolutely no substitute for your mother but I can still listen and support you.’ Seeing Seraphina’s eyes fill with tears, Cat put her arm round the young girl’s shoulders. ‘It’s just . . . no one should make you do anything you don’t want to do. Ever. And if they do, they’re not worth it, do you understand?’

  Seraphina nodded and did her best to stop her lip trembling. Cat wondered who this older boyfriend of hers was. If she wasn’t much mistaken, he was putting serious pressure on Seraphina to sleep with him.

  And that, Cat decided, made him a major league creep.

  A few days later, Xavier emerged from his lab and squinted at the brightness outside. Lighting a cigarette and inhaling deeply, he realised he’d been working almost non-stop for the past week or more. He was desperate for a break.

  Tearing off his white coat and tossing it back inside the lab, he undid his shirt collar and immediately felt more relaxed. He strolled to the pool and felt a mild stab of disappointment that Cat had gone. He’d seen her out of the lab window but, checking his watch, he realised that must have been hours ago. Xavier wasn’t sure what he would have said to her if he’d managed to bump into her but he was conscious that the air needing clearing. Also, ridiculously, he felt the urge to talk to her again, not about what had happened but about what he was doing.

  Glancing at the pool, Xavier decided to take a dip. Not a proper one, he was fully dressed. His cigarette hanging out of his mouth, he rolled his trouser legs up and dangled his feet in the pool. The water was cool and refreshing and just what he needed. Sitting back, he flicked his dark hair out of his eyes and saw that Max was skulking around the pool house.

  ‘Hey!’ Xavier called him over. What was he doing back from college?

  Max, wearing a black T-shirt, black jeans and an equally murky expression, came over. His dark-brown curls were dishevelled and his eyes were wary. ‘Where did you just come from?’

  Xavier looked sheepish. ‘The lab. I’ve been . . . trying some things out.’

  ‘What, creating a new fragrance?’

  Xavier blew smoke in the air. ‘More like resurrecting a new one . . . I don’t know. I’m just experimenting at the moment. Anyway, what are you doing back from school?’

  Max looked incredulous. ‘Don’t you know? Hasn’t Dad told you?’

  Baffled, Xavier shook his head. ‘I’ve
been shut in the lab for days. What’s going on?’

  Knowing he was probably in for another ear-bashing, Max sat down next to him, and undid his baseball boots. Dropping his feet into the pool, he filled Xavier in about his drugs bust and about Seraphina’s naked canter round the college grounds.

  ‘Fuck.’ Xavier didn’t know whether to laugh or whack Max round the head.

  Max braced himself. ‘Go on then, let me have it. Everyone else has.’

  Xavier sucked on his cigarette. He felt immensely sorry for the twins. After their mother’s death, they had pretty much been left out in the cold and he couldn’t help thinking the current situation was simply the result of that. At the time, Xavier had been far too caught up in his own fucked-up situation to be as supportive as he would have liked, and their father, well, he had literally fallen apart.

  Bearing all this in mind, Xavier decided to go easy on Max. It was fair to assume the rest of the family wouldn’t have held back. Someone had to be on the twins’ side at a time like this.

  ‘I think Seraphina’s got guts,’ he said. ‘I can’t believe she rode round the college naked!’ Xavier could just imagine how his father would have reacted to that. He was glad he’d been locked away in his lab whilst it was all kicking off. ‘As for you, Max . . .’

  Max hung his head. ‘I know. I’m an idiot. You don’t need to tell me.’

  ‘I didn’t say that. But while we’re talking, what’s it all about?’ Xavier asked, blowing smoke into the air. ‘The drugs, I mean. Do you really enjoy it or are you just trying to get Dad’s attention?’

  Max shrugged. ‘A bit of both, I suppose. It made me feel as if I was letting off a bit of steam, you know?’ He waggled his feet and Xavier couldn’t help thinking how young he looked with his jeans up round his knees and his head hanging sorrowfully. ‘Getting Dad’s attention didn’t work – not in a good way, at any rate.’